The Effect of Glycemic Control on Morbidity and Mortality in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

BackgroundCOVID-19 infection has caused a global pandemic affecting a group of patients with chronic conditions including diabetes with exacerbating insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Investigators noted that preexisting diabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes are associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection.AimTo evaluate the relationship between ICU patients infected with COVID-19 and mortality among those with high versus low glucose levels.MethodsThis is a retrospective study of critically ill adult patients infected with COVID-19 who were admitted to the ICU from April 5, 2020, to October 14, 2020. The participants were from San Bernardino County which is a diverse and underserved community. Overall, 84 patients were included in the final analysis. The average age was 59.67 (standard deviation=15.55) with 59.5% being males. Overall mortality was 44.1%.ResultsAround one-fifth of patients had glucose under control as measured by peak glucose level of <180 mg/dL during hospital stay. A statistically significant association was seen between tighter serum glucose control and mortality (p=0.0354). Patients with serum glucose maintained <180 mg/dL were associated with significantly lower mortality than their counterparts (22.2% vs. 50%).ConclusionsThis study suggests that maintaining a tighter control of the glycemic index in critically ill COVID-19 patients will improve morbidity and mortality.